January 26, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Mass layoffs in 2005

During 2005, 16,466 mass layoff events occurred in the nation, resulting in 1,795,341 initial claims filings for unemployment insurance.

Number of mass layoff events, 1996-2005
[Chart data—TXT]

In 2004, there were 15,980 events and 1,607,158 initial claimants.

Manufacturing accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff events and 37 percent of initial claims filed during 2005. A year earlier, manufacturing accounted for 29 percent of events and 35 percent of initial claims.

The number of initial claims filed in 2005 due to mass layoffs was higher in the Midwest (571,950) than in any other region. Layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing accounted for 30 percent of the claims in the Midwest.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. Mass layoffs data for 2005 are preliminary and subject to revision. Each mass layoff event involves at least 50 persons from a single establishment. See "Mass Layoffs in December 2005 and Annual Averages for 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news releases USDL 06-122, for more information.

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